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TRENDING:

Another reason for Ellsworth over Hill

Democrats close to the situation acknowledge that picking
Hill could imperil his House seat, but there’s not a whole lot they can do,
given the timing of Bayh’s retirement.

Some say Hill could potentially remain on the primary ballot,
since it looks like the Senate nomination won’t become official until after the
May 4 primary, but others insist that he would have to withdraw from his House
race because state law prohibits seeking two offices at once.

The last thing Democrats want is an open legal question
jeopardizing a top House battleground. Democratic party leaders have been seeking plenty of legal
advice in advance of the filing deadlines in the coming days.

Complicating matters in Hill’s district is the fact that his
level of interest in the Senate isn’t even known yet, because he has been on an
overseas congressional delegation this week.

By contract, in Ellsworth’s district, no other Democrats had
filed as of Thursday afternoon. And even if Van Haaften doesn’t file in time,
party leaders could pick their nominee because there are no other candidates in
the race.